Edwin Poots launches stinging attack on Coveney and Varadkar ahead of meeting with Taoiseach

DUP leader Edwin Poots arriving at Government Buildings ahead of his meeting with Taoiseach Micheal Martin. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

DUP leader Edwin Poots has launched a stinging attack on Simon Coveney and Leo Varadkar as he arrives in Dublin to meet Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

The Taoiseach is meeting the new DUP leader and will have "frank conversations" about the fall-out from Brexit, according to Mr Poots who spoke to media before the meeting this evening.

Mr Poots, who campaigned for Brexit and is passionately against the Northern Ireland protocol, said Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney had "delivered" interruptions to food and medicine in Northern Ireland, he says, irrespective of whether that was the intention.

He said that Coveney and Varadkar brought up instances of border checks in the 1970s to drive "forward an agenda" which "left a very bad taste in the mouths" of the unionist community.

"I don't believe they desired to do that, but that is the outworkings of what has happened and they need to reflect on the mistakes of the past and work with us to rectify those mistakes," he said.

Mr Poots said that relations "north and south have never been as bad", before adding: "I don’t blame the current Taoiseach for that. I blame the past Taoiseach.

"Northern Ireland can't be a plaything of the European Union or the southern government."

The new leader added that the Northern Ireland protocol "is unworkable" and will be telling Micheál Martin this in their meeting.

“Brexit was the democratic wishes of the United Kingdom,” he said.

"The protocol was supposed to be a win-win for Northern Ireland. Instead, it’s a 6-1 defeat, because we have this downside where over 50% of our trade has been distorted and driving up costs.

"These things are entirely unacceptable, not for me as a unionist, but as a leader of people in Northern Ireland.

"I come to do business with people, my business is the wellbeing of people in Northern Ireland and good relations across the border and want to work with people who want to achieve those aims and work with me.

"There is a lot of anger over the Northern Ireland protocol that manifested itself in the streets a number of weeks ago when we had the level of street violence which we hadn't seen for many years," he said.

"We need to recognise the protocol as it currently exists is not deliverable and that is something the Taoiseach needs to recognize as well."

Mr Poots said he believes there are solutions which can be achieved by finding a way to ensure the single market is protected, no borders on the island of Ireland, and the "issue of the barriers that's been erected between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, which is damaging to every single person in Northern Ireland," he added.

He said food costs were going up as a result of 15,000 checks per week on food, animal movement being blocked and medicine deliveries had obstacles in the way.

Mr Poots met with the leaders of the other Stormont Executive parties today and says the meeting was “very useful, very constructive” on health in particular, but says I'm here to discuss the NI Protocol which “is not deliverable and must go. 

"That’s something the Taoiseach needs to recognise as well.”